Incorporating in 2014, AV installation was a side gig for several years for AV Tech Specialists, consisting of “two guys and a truck.” The biggest hurdle to getting AVTech established and growing was the local builders’ “boys club” mentality. If a builder had an established relationship with an AV installer — regardless of their quality of work — that’s who they’d continue to use. Much of the company’s growth came from word of mouth.

New program aims to fast-track aspiring technicians into the smart home industry.

With Qobuz Connect, you can control your music directly from the Qobuz app without third-party apps.

Savant now offers solutions from The Crown Shade Company that create opportunities for integrators to address a variety of window treatment needs.

Announcements include three new JBL Summit Series models and the Mark Levinson 600 Series.

VideoWall Pro provides a single-screen interface for comprehensive video wall management.

Trims are now available in brass, copper, and graphite finishes.

While many custom installation dealers sell many of the same types of products, how they present them to customers is often very different — and very creative. To celebrate these outside-the-box thinkers, we present our fifth annual showcase of dynamic showrooms.

By Samantha Summerville, World4Solar In the not-too-distant future, the design and installation of an energy and power solution in the home construction plan is a reality for off-the-grid power independence. Consumers with the financial means today want to power their homes (and businesses) off the local power grid. The more affordable personal energy/storage systems become, the greater the appeal for consumers to adopt energy/power independence as the only real solution, and they will move forward in time.

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This special issue is designed to assist custom installers who are just venturing into the world of lighting and offer some advice for those who continue to navigate this lucrative product category. It features some of the top experts and companies in the lighting and CI worlds, many of who are giving presentations and exhibiting at Lightapalooza 2025.

For this Residential Systems Q&A, Furrion’s national sales manager Aaron Mellow and director of sales – residential awnings Jon Sweeney talk about why Furrion wants to be in the custom integration market, what sets their products apart from their competitors, the company’s plans for new products and CEDIA Expo, and more.

There is no doubt that the shading category is becoming popular with integrators as more and more get comfortable with the process of selling, ordering and installing them. In this supplement, we talk to CI shading pros about how they maximize efficiency across their motorized shade projects.